Canouan Yacht Charter : A New Marina For The Grenadines in the Caribbean

The opening of Glossy Bay Marina on Canouan Island in St Vincent & the Grenadines is exciting news for Caribbean yacht charters

Canouan yacht charter in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean is set to become the international benchmark for Caribbean yacht charters with the recent opening of the Glossy Bay Marina on Canouan Island.

Canouan Island is approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of mainland Saint Vincent, south of Mustique and north of Mayreau, in the middle of the Grenadine archipelago.

Canouan is in the middle of the St Vincent & the Grenadines archipelago

Glossy Bay Marina on Canouan Island

Phase One of Glossy Bay Marina officially opened on 10th April 2017, and boasts the accolade of being the first superyacht marina in the eastern and southern Caribbean to offer berths for 24 superyachts (6 berths for 100m LOA yachts).

The 125-berth marina when fully operational will have the capacity to host 1,000 yacht charter crew, guests and owners which is forecast to be equivalent to a 500-guest hotel – much bigger than anything currently in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The new Marina Manager at Glossy Bay Marina is Bob Hathaway, who held the role of Marina Manager until 2014 at The Marina at Marigot Bay in St Lucia.

Hundreds of Vincentians have worked on the development of the upscale hotel/villas on the island under Canouan Resorts Development led by Antonio Saladino and Achille Pastor-Ris, as well as the Glossy Bay Marina project by Glossy Bay Construction, overseen by Irish financier Dermot Desmond who has invested an estimated $60 million (€56.5 million).

Marina facilities at Glossy Bay, Canouan Island

The marina has a Capitanerie, with laundry facilities and guest bathrooms, a fuelling system for boats with dockside fuelling hydrants, a fuel station, a beach club called Shenanigans, a standby power plant and a waste water treatment plant connected to vacuum pumping facilities on the docks. There is also remotely metered electricity and water and high speed broadband Internet connections. The marina design carefully considered the existing environment; even the light posts are designed so as not to interfere with the neighbouring airport.

Now open for Caribbean yacht charter business, the construction of remaining stages of the project at Glossy Bay is still ongoing with another EC$100 million expected to be spent. Moorings are expected to increase in demand, especially when construction of the marina plaza is finished (estimated to be by the end of June), with completion by December of shops, apartments, a bar, restaurant, gym and a Yacht Club with meeting facilities. There is also an extensive landscaping plan to use over 50 acres in the creation of a botanic garden.

For visitors to the Island, the Customs offices are located at Canouan Airport adjacent to Glossy Bay Marina and the Canouan Revenue Office situated at the seaport at the main harbour in Charleston Bay.

Watch a video below of the Glossy Bay Marina development:

Luxury Yacht Charter for Canouan Island

The island is surrounded by coral reefs making it a wonderful luxury yacht charter destination for anyone keen on water sports such as diving or snorkeling. From Point De Jour in the northeast down to Barbruce Bay in the southeast is Grand Cois, an extensive barrier reef worth discovering.

Canouan is blessed with incredible sandy beaches, turquoise water with coral reefs and luxurious island resorts

Other than the berths at Glossy Bay Marina, Charlestown Bay (also known as Grand Bay) is the main anchorage; we advise charter guests with sailing yachts to exercise caution when there are strong NE winds with a northerly swell. Rameau Bay in the north also offers sheltered anchorages for sailboats and motor yachts.

Yacht charter in the Grenadines: Best time of year to visit Canouan Island

The weather in Canouan follows a tropical climate with average daytime temperatures ranging from 24°Celsius (75F) to 30°Celsius (87F). The driest season is from December to May with the coolest months falling between November and February.

The rainy season coincides with hurricane season which runs from June to November, with strong peaks in August to mid-September.

Canouan Airport

Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI), Aimé Césaire International Airport in Martinique (FDF), Maurice Bishop International Airport (GND) on Grenada and Argyle International Airport (AIA) which has replaced E.T. Joshua Airport on St Vincent, service international flights as well as flights between the Grenadines and other Caribbean destinations.

Canouan Airport (CIW) is adjacent to Glossy Bay Marina which had the runway lengthened and now offers a new option for flights to/from other islands. The runway extension means the island’s airport is the closest airport to the Tobago Cays able to accommodate mid-size jets which in the past had to come into Barbados or St Lucia.

For visitors who don’t arrive in Canouan by private yacht charter and are wondering how to get to Canouan Island, there are flights (scheduled and/or charter) operating regularly between Canouan and Barbados, St Lucia and St Vincent.

LIAT as well as Grenadine Air Alliance which includes SVGAIR and Mustique Airways operate scheduled flights and private charters between the Grenadine islands.

Canouan Island Activities

If you are on a private yacht charter, there are plenty of things to see and do especially water-based sports in some incredible bays with turquoise water, coral reefs and sandy beaches. Visit Godahl Beach, Mahault Bay Beach, Windward Bay, Riley Bay and Friendship Bay for swimming and snorkeling.

Keen hikers can walk up to Mount Royal for uninterrupted views over the Grenadines, or perhaps tee off at the Canouan Golf Course, an 18-hole Jim Fazio-designed golf course covering sloping hills with breathtaking sea views. Holes 12, 13, 14 and 15 are particularly scenic holes and located on top of a ridge with fantastic views of the neighbouring islands.

Canouan Golf Course is an 18-hole course with a spectacular setting looking out to neighbouring islands

During the last week of July, there is an annual festival called Canouan Carnival that features music and local traditions.

Canouan boat charters are perfect for clients looking to explore the beauty of the southern Grenadines with family, relax on a honeymoon yacht charter or step ashore to the exclusive Canouan hotels and resorts.

Reincarnated from the Canouan Resort at Carenage Bay, The Pink Sands Club opened in the last quarter of 2016 with 26 suites and 6 four-bedroom Lagoon villas, all ocean-facing with chic interiors of cool marble, dark wood and the resort’s signature pink accents.

Pink Sands Club has chic interiors with sea views from all of the Suites & Villas

The oceanfront Villas with lagoon views are magnificent for a getaway ashore after your luxury yacht charter

Those looking for health and wellness can make use of an open-air yoga platform, or indulge in a special spa experience in one of 9 hillside treatment rooms or 2 overwater palapas more reminiscent of the South Pacific reached only by boat, with glass-bottom floors from which to gaze at the azure waters below.

Pinks Sands Club has exceptional facilites including an infinity swimming pool and overwater spa palapas, unique for the Caribbean

Canouan Estate Villas & Residences are stand alone Villas and Residences on a 1200-acre estate that benefit from access to hotel services offered by the Pink Sands Club.The collection currently includes 14 Canouan Estate Residences with 2 – 8 Bedrooms each and lagoon views as well as 3 Canouan Estate Villas which are larger and feature unique designs.

The Estate has access to sandy beaches, tennis courts, Kids Club and a fine selection of restaurants and bars; Bellinis Bar named after the famous champagne cocktail that was invented in Harry’s Bar in Venice in Italy, Shell Beach Bar and Grill serving beachside lunches of grilled seafood and salads, a pool bar, Lagoon Café which is a stylish beach-house restaurant and Romeo and Juliet restaurants.

Canouan Will Be The Next Big Yachting Hub for the Grenadines

The opening of Glossy Bay Marina is certain to provide a boost for Canouan’s economy and cement Canouan Island as a major gateway for luxury yacht charters in and around the Grenadine Islands and greater Caribbean.

After the withdrawal of the Canouan Island Raffles Resort in previous years, investors are determined to make it as desirable a luxury destination as Mustique, Sandy Lane in Barbados and St Barts.

Canouan will be the one to watch for Caribbean yacht charters – a small island with natural beauty that epitomizes the essence of luxury in the relatively untouched Grenadines archipelago.

Canouan is a yacht charter gateway to other Grenadine locations including the beautiful Tobago Cays Marine Park with reefs and turtles

Here at 212 Yachts, we can help you navigate through the finer details of booking a Caribbean yacht charter by ensuring that when you step back on land, you’ve had the luxury yachting experience you’ve dreamed of.

We can tailor you a Canouan yacht charter itinerary to include Mustique, cruise past the Pitons of St Lucia, anchor in picturesque bays such as Salt Whistle Bay at Mayreau, go kitesurfing at Union Island, photograph the unusal Moon Hole in Bequia or dip into the big blue at the Tobago Cays, an archipelago comprising five uninhabited islands and home to the Tobago Cays Marine Park popular for scuba diving amongst coral reefs, tropical fish and green turtles.

Contact us today to discuss your yacht charter in Canouan, the Grenadines or greater Caribbean region.